All Things Considered

Commonly referred to as "ATC" and a staple for afternoon commutes, NPR's nationally syndicated afternoon news magazine brings you closer to home with the presence of WAMU's local host.

Since May 3, 1971 All Things Considered has been produced every day from NPR's headquarters in Washington, D.C. Featuring a mix of news, interviews, commentaries, reviews, and offbeat features, "ATC" produces 2 hours of fresh content every day for hundreds of public radio stations around the United States.

Elliott Francis

Local Host, All Things Considered

Francis has worked alongside some of the most influential media executives in the U.S. during his 25 years as a news anchor, including FOX News President and Chairman Roger Ailes, former CNN Executive Vice President Ed Turner, and the founder and former CEO of Johnson Publishing Company, John H. Johnson. In 2002, shortly after joining the ABC news affiliate in Washington DC (WJLA-TV) as the morning co-anchor, Francis was thrust into the rigors of live, non-stop coverage of the DC sniper shootings and investigation, sometimes speaking 8-9 hours unscripted. A skilled interviewer, Francis once convinced singer John Denver to go "on-camera" with details of his upcoming DUI trial.

Like many former Soviet republics, Ukraine is considering saying goodbye to its Soviet past and signing an economic alignment with the European Union. But with the clock ticking on a free trade agreement, Ukraine is facing hardball tactics from Moscow and a demand from the EU to free its former prime minister.

Two large industries — agriculture and oil — are fighting a pitched battle over access to your car's fuel tank. Americans are buying less gasoline, but a federal law requires the country to include an increasing amount of corn-based ethanol in the country's fuel supply. Facing billions of dollars in lost sales, the oil industry wants the government to reverse course on ethanol.

Some of the destruction from Typhoon Haiyan was not purely the result of the storm's huge force. Among the leading Asian economies, the Philippines regularly ranks as the most corrupt. Robert Siegel talks with Steven Rood, who runs the Asia Foundation's office in Manila, about how the nation's infrastructure problems, laid bare by the storm, relate to graft and corruption.

British composer Sir John Tavener — whose music was beloved by many far outside the usual classical sphere — died Tuesday at age 69. We look back at a career that took him from being signed by The Beatles' Apple label to a performance of his music as part of Princess Diana's funeral.

New York City has the tallest skyscraper in the country again. One World Trade Center will officially take that title away from the Willis Tower in Chicago when it opens next year. The Council on Tall Building and Urban Habitat made the announcement Tuesday.

The town of Tacloban on the island of Leyte in the Philippines was devastated by Typhoon Haiyan. The scene at the airport there was chaotic as the Philippine and U.S. military delivered food and aid workers and residents rushed to board planes headed back to less-damaged Manila .

China's Communist Party wrapped up a four-day meeting Tuesday that could herald big changes for the nation's economy. The meeting carries the soporific title The Third Plenary of the 18th Central Committee. But historically, a third plenary has meant transformational reforms.

Timothy Massad is nominated to head the Commodities Futures Trading Commission. He would replace Gary Gensler, whose four-year tenure was marred by questions of his professional ties to Jon Corzine and the downfall of MF Global.

The Justice Department approved an airline merger Tuesday that will create the world's largest carrier. AMR, the parent of American Airlines, and U.S. Airways agreed to divest a number of slots and gates at key airports in order to enhance competition.

Two members of the up-and-coming indie band The Yellow Dogs were among the dead in a Monday morning murder-suicide in Brooklyn. It's a tragic ending for a band that came from Iran to escape crackdowns on rock music.

Discouraged by the Republican candidate for governor's showing in the polls, GOP donors begin pouring money into the Virginia attorney general race. Now, that contest is showing a 117 vote margin with Democrat Mark Herring ahead, though there have been several lead changes as provisional ballots have been tallied.

Secretary of State John Kerry is back in Washington to defend the proposed nuclear deal with Iran to skeptical members of Congress. He and his colleagues from other major powers failed to reach a deal with Iran during talks over the weekend in Geneva. Iran blames France's hard line for blowing up the deal, though Kerry has tried to downplay that.

Most people testing positive for a sexually transmitted disease may want to do the right thing and let former sexual partners know. But such conversations aren't easy. In Spokane, you can ask the health department to make the call — and not use your name.

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